Does Your Relationship Require A Game Plan?

1) A weekly “Marriage State of the Union”
Tuesday nights, we’ve been sitting down at the kitchen table over wine to discuss parenting and relationship concerns/issues/things that are bugging us. Maybe a scheduled meeting sounds formal but they’ve actually been helpful, cathartic and fun (see: “wine”). The truth is, given our nonstop lives these discussions would fall to the wayside unless we carve out the time. And they’re a way to prevent resentment from building, something that can seriously erode a relationship.

2) More talk, less tech
Our typical minivan ride consists of the kids watching a DVD, me scanning Facebook and Twitter, and my husband listening to a CD. The kids remain DVD zombies, but now my husband and I spend drives catching up, gossiping and dreaming dreams. A relationship expert I interviewed once told me that one of the key signs of a healthy marriage is talking about your future together. Retiring to Hawaii? Oh, yeah.

3) Kick the kids outta bedFor years, we’ve had issues with bed crashers, aka our kids. The problem had dwindled to our son wandering in around 1 a.m.-so much better than having him as a full-time overnight guest, but still, an intrusion on sleep time and (wink, wink) together time. It’s hard to have a whole lot of willpower at 1 in the morning, but the deal is we alternate nights escorting Max back to bed and tucking him in, then doing it again and again.

4) Do actual activities together
My husband and I have always done Saturday date nights, usually dinner and a movie. But going to events and activities truly enriches a marriage, relationship pros say. You have more shared experiences to bond over and you have more to talk about, so that the kids don’t dominate your conversations. It’s also a great way to de-stress. The other night, Dave and I went to a wine-tasting where a sommelier taught us about pairing foods with vino. (If vino seems to be a running theme of our lives, I can assure you it is.) We’re going to a jazz concert next month, part of our new Parents Night Out series. And we won’t have an excuse for bailing because we’ve bought the tickets.

5) More everyday affection
A peck on the lips as I run out the door to work in the morning, a rushed “I love you!” at the end of a call: My husband and I still adore each other, but we’ve got into quickie routines of expressing it. Back when we were dating, Dave liked to give me bear hugs and proclaim “Endorphin rush!” We’d both crack up, but it’s true-hugs and kisses boost our happiness hormones, science says. In fact, a study from the University of North Carolina showed that women who get more hugs from their partners had lower blood pressure. Dorky as it sounds, we’ve been making more of an effort to hug and smooch. In the scheme of things on our to-do lists, this is the best task ever.Original Story